Is the UT campus safer ?
KNOXVILLE, TN - News Channel 6 Reporter, Jill McNeal, for WATE TV reports on April's two year anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings. The shooting by a disgruntled student killed 32 people in two separate attacks on April 16, 2007 before taking his own life. Since this incident, schools across the nation have worked on improved security, communication and prevention of such attacks. The University of Tennessee campus, has installed better lighting, security cameras and four new Code Blue emergency phones. The emergency telephones allow anyone to call for help, but also can act as a loud speaker to spread vital updates in case of a crisis.
UT has also implemented a distressed student protocol, where campus leaders meet weekly to discuss concerns about any student who has been referred as experiencing a crisis. Instant communication is a key component to crisis management. "We get email notification when things on campus and even right off campus happen, and so at least we're aware of things," says grad student Beth Fowler.

 

UWM neighbors laud off-campus disciplinary proposal
MILWAUKEE, WI - The Journal Sentinel reports that a proposal to extend the disciplinary reach of state universities beyond campus grounds was lauded by neighbors of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The residents have been frustrated by what they say has  been years of unruly student behavior. But students from several UW System schools told a public hearing the proposed revisions to the State Administrative Code would stifle due process and punish students twice for minor municipal violations. Though hearings about the proposed changes have been held around the state, student behavior off campus has been especially divisive in the neighborhoods surrounding UWM, where groups of residents have long lobbied the university to do more about student behavior. Their complaints have focused on excessive drinking, noise, property damage, litter and speeding cars.
 
Under the current code, university officials can discipline students for on-campus misconduct, but the code is less than clear about off-campus behavior. The university can punish students who commit assaults and damage property off campus if the victims are other university students or employees, but the code does not specify what the university can do in other cases. The new policy would allow university officials to discipline students for off-campus actions if they fit into one of 16 specific categories and affect a substantial university interest.

The Spectator News adds that an expulsion could occur over a minor citation. One student says proposed changes to the UW System's rules could make this a possible scenario, but a System spokesperson disagrees.

 

Party protocol established
Students required to register off-campus housing.

 

Los Angeles, CA - The LA Loyolan writes that Loyola Marymount University's Office of Off-Campus
Student Life and Associated Students of Loyola Marymount University have sponsored forums and programs such as "Party Smart" and "Party Talk" to help students learn the difference between "Fact, Fiction and Law". Recent activities are partially resulting from concerns and complaints about student parties in the Westchester community near the LMU campus. Students attending the forum asked questions from representatives of LAPD, DPS, Judicial Affairs, the City Attorney's Office and the Office of Off-Campus Student Life. Student questions included LAPD enforcement and citations, and establishing the truth about city ordinances and the judicial process. The forum also allowed the Office of Off-Campus Life to make announcements regarding new policies for students living off-campus next semester including  off-campus students being required to attend an online orientation concerning information about city ordinances, LMU policies and tips for being courteous and respectful. Senior Lead Officer Thomas Wicks, of the LAPD Pacific Division, explained "the LAPD response protocol to party calls and cleared up the issue about first-time citations. When responding to any party, officers have the discretion to do any of the following: warn and disperse the crowd, cite the responsible party giver for Disturbing the Peace and/or noise violations, file a Disturbing the Peace report with no arrest or citation given or physically arrest and then book the individual at Pacific Division. It is important to note that it is at the officer's discretion to do any of the following. It is not a new law and applies not only to LMU, but to all of Los Angeles. Officers have always had the right to take any such action and what an officer may or may not do highly depends on the situation, behavior and response of the student and party."